It's absolutely not a reason for keeping him around, but I do appreciate how shitty of a situation Alex was in and what it did to him as a player. If he could have ended up in a better situation, he might have ended up one of the best QB's in the game.

He's also a super thoughtful and nice guy, so it's always been hard for me to hate on the guy.

Yeah I'm not buying any momentum explanations. This is the unfazable Patriots, they are immune to that BS. When the Pats lose, like last night, it's because somebody physically smacked their technician OL in the mouth. Pats Defensive front 7 got thrown around as well, the Kony Ealy debacle looms big right now. Chiefs took this game over at the LOS, plain and simple, they beat them bloody.

His body language is terrible. Head down, eyes on the floor, shoulders slumped forward, nervous hands, nervous laughter. This guy does not seem to be a natural leader, nor does he seem to be naturally competitive.

Now I've never been in that exact scenario but I've seen something similar when someone is in the witness stand being asked questions by one party but expected to answer to another (a jury).

Smith's in a tough setting here in that he knows he's talking to the camera for consumption's sake but in the room he's technically answering the interviewer. Meanwhile they're sitting alongside each other with those cockeyed chairs.

Your natural instinct in that scenario is to look forward (watch Reid, he does it to). The difference is that Smith clearly has an odd tique in that he looks down when he's searching for an answer. When he's formulated it and is just spitting it out, he actually has pretty good eye contact with the interviewer. But when he's digesting the question and trying to put together an answer, he does look down - that's not terribly common.

That said, it also isn't something that would preclude being a strong leader at all. Speaking extemporaneously or being a strong improvisational speaker is a much different animal than putting forward a strong belief or directive.

You're reading way too much into that. We've seen his interactions with his teammates on the field, in the huddle and even occasionally in the locker room. He's clearly in his element there and generally does a good job.

This really is a fascinating interview and interesting information from pretty much all the parties.

Lmao. When did you begin working for the FBI? Calm down Nancy. Looking down to the floor means more so that you are recalling memories in your mind and usually those that stare into ones eyes prolonged when they are speaking usually means they are lying and seeing if you're buying it

No need to calm down.... I'm not actually worked up about it. At all. Just commenting on something that seems blatantly obvious- Alex is a nice guy with a good deal of intelligence and some athletic ability. He's parlayed those traits into a very lucrative career, but he is not a natural leader and he doesn't seem to be one of those guys that always dreamed of winning the Super Bowl.

Did I hear Alex in one of those videos say that he hadn't really considered playing in the NFL until his senior season of college? If I had to guess, he is just in it for the bucks. Even his typical playing style seems geared to just keeping his job, not fervently trying to win. Whatever. He'll be gone soon, I guess.

He's parlayed those traits into a very lucrative career, but he is not a natural leader and he doesn't seem to be one of those guys that always dreamed of winning the Super Bowl.

I'll never find the article again but some time ago I went down the rabbithole on leadership/extroverts and came across a great study that went into detail on folks natural inclination towards viewing extroverts as leaders.

Ultimately there's a slight positive correlation but not nearly what you think. Many outstanding 'natural' leaders are not natural extroverts. Smith is undeniably not an extrovert; he's clearly a more naturally introverted sort of personality. But there are a myriad of ways to use that to your advantage in leadership settings as well.

No need to calm down.... I'm not actually worked up about it. At all. Just commenting on something that seems blatantly obvious- Alex is a nice guy with a good deal of intelligence and some athletic ability. He's parlayed those traits into a very lucrative career, but he is not a natural leader and he doesn't seem to be one of those guys that always dreamed of winning the Super Bowl.

Did I hear Alex in one of those videos say that he hadn't really considered playing in the NFL until his senior season of college? If I had to guess, he is just in it for the bucks. Even his typical playing style seems geared to just keeping his job, not fervently trying to win. Whatever. He'll be gone soon, I guess.

You're just dumb as ****.

I don't even know why you ****ing bother posting on this site because every post is negative, made up, bullshit.

Kelce's clearly describing a reserved Alex Smith; it's constantly in the background of his answers. But he also describes him as a brother because "you feel like you can tell him anything". That's almost universal - extroverts, for everything they are - are not excellent listeners. So if you're someone like Smith who isn't ever going to be the guy driving the conversation, you become a sounding board and someone that hears your teammates concerns and whenever possible demonstrates a commitment to addressing them.

That's 'introverted' leadership. The internal accountability you hear discussed is often is also very easy to do without being an extrovert and perhaps moreso because you can do so in an understated manner that isn't off-putting to those you're addressing.

Yeah, I've put more effort into this than necessary but I'd recommend you bone up a bit on the traits of strong leaders and how different personality types can use that personality to their advantage.